The Old School 70’s Bodybuilding Routine

The 1970's produced the most impressive male physiques the world has ever seen. The bodybuilders of the 70's made Zeus and Hercules look like pencil necks. In this article we will take a look at the 70's bodybuilding workout routine – and how the 70's bodybuilders achieved their near perfect physiques.

Current bodybuilders look like pregnant cows with zero bodyfat, in other words, they look absolutely ridiculous. The 70's bodybuilders were the ideal physique of man – they had low bodyfat, but not so low they looked sick, they had small waists with abdominals clearly defined, big chests, wide lats, big shoulders, and big arms.

They had perfect V-tapers. A V-taper is when the male upper body has a “V” shape. Starting with wide shoulders, wide lats, and moving down in size to a tight waist – like a “V”.

In this article we will review the de-facto bodybuilding routine of bodybuilders like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Frank Zane, Franco Columbu, Lou Ferrigno, Boyer Coe, Bill Grant, Mike Mentzer, Serge Nubret and other bodybuilders from the golden era of bodybuilding.

The workout routine they used was a high-volume approach. In lay-mans terms ‘high volume' means they did a whole lot of work to achieve their physiques. Both in the gym and in the “kitchen”.

Todays top bodybuilders follow a routine of working out one bodypart per week for one hour per workout session. For example they may work Chest on Monday, Back on Tuesday, rest on Wednesday, Legs on Thursday, Shoulders and Arms on Friday, and rest on Saturday and Sunday.

The 70's era bodybuilders were in the gym 6 days per week doing lots of heavy work, resting very little, and spending a long time in the gym to achieve the look of perfection.

Their routine was not set in stone. A trainer must use his instinct to find what works for him. We will look at the bodypart splits (the days they worked each muscle groups) and the exercises they used. It is for the reader to determined his choice of exercises and rep scheme (the amount of reps you will do per set).

Bodybuilding in the 1970's was about achieving perfection of the male body. 70's bodybuilding was about building the most aesthetic, muscular and strong body attainable by man. Below we will look at how they accomplished this.

This is the de-facto bodypart split of the 1970's era bodybuilders:

Monday: Chest and Back

Tuesday: Shoulders and Arms

Wednesday: Legs

Thursday: Chest and Back

Friday: Shoulders and Arms

Saturday: Legs

Sunday: Rest

Abdominals (Abs), Calves, Neck and Trapezius work was done 4-6 times per week or as needed.

The seventies bodybuilders would typically start their routine with abdominal or calf work (if needed).

After the abs and calves they would start with their hardest and heaviest exercise. The exercises they used were the most basic, multi-joint movement that build the most muscle. They would start with the hardest and heaviest and work towards the lightest exercises.

Sample Routine

This is a sample workout routine that can be used to get started on the Old School 70's Bodybuilding Routine:

Monday and Thursday:

CHEST:

Sergio Oliva – The Victory Pose

Flat Barbell Bench Press – 5 sets / 1-12 reps per set

Incline Bench Press – 5 Sets / 5-12 reps per set

Flat Bench Dumbbell Flyes – 5 Sets / 8-12 reps per set

BACK:

Chinups – As many sets as it takes to complete 50 Chinups

Bent Rows – 5 Sets / 8-12 reps per set

T-Bar Rows – 5 Sets / 8-12 reps per set

Notes: The rep scheme should fall between 5-12 reps per set, depending on how heavy the weight is, with 8 reps being ideal. You will start with lightweight and move up in weight with each set.

Always start this day with Flat Barbell Bench Press. You will do 5 total sets. Each set you will go up in weight 10, 15, or 20 lbs depending on strength level. You will want to end this exercise as heavy as possible, even with only 1 or 2 reps. This will “activate” your strength and allow you to lift heavier in all your next exercises.

A favorite of Arnold Schwarzenegger's was to combine Chest and Back exercises into a superset. That means doing two exercises in a row without stopping. For example: he would do a set of Flat Barbell Bench Press and then immediately do a set of Chinups without rest. Arnold would continue like that until all 5 sets were finished.

Supersetting Chest and Back is an excellent way to build muscle, sweat out toxins and burn bodyfat because it's very hard work.

Example Chest/Back Superset Routine:

Flat Barbell Bench Press superset with Chinups – 5 sets / 5-12 reps per set of Bench Press, as many chinups as possible per set

The Trapezius muscles (traps) are the muscle connecting the neck and the shoulders. Some trainers traps may need some additional work. For a man with narrow clavicles it is generally advisable to avoid trap work. For a man with wide clavicles trap work is usually necessary.

Notes: Always start this day with the Barbell Shoulders Presses. Those with shoulder problems can substitute the Behind the Neck Barbell Press with Standing Military Press (Barbell Presses to the front). The rep scheme should fall between 5-12 reps with 8 being the ideal. Start the Barbell Press with light weight and move up in weight with each set until you are hitting about 5 reps. The Arnold/Scott Press and the Lateral DB Raises should be performed with 8-12 reps per set.

The Biceps and Triceps exercises should be performed with 8-12 reps per set. Heavier weight does not need to be used with each set.

To save time and get an insane pump the Biceps and Triceps exercises can be supersetted. To do that you will do one exercise of Biceps immediately followed by one Tricpes exercises until all sets and exercises are completed.

Wednesday and Saturday:

LEGS:

Squats – 5 sets / 5-20 reps per set

Hack Squats – 5 sets / 8-20 reps per set

Lying Leg Curls – 5 sets / 8-20 reps per set

Leg Extensions – 5 sets / 8-20 reps per set

Notes: Always start Leg day with Squats because they are the hardest exercise. The squats will be performed in the same fashion as the Flat Bench Press. We will start with a lightweight and move up in weight with each set. The first set of Squats will be done with the empty bar for approx. 20 reps. Then you will add weight with each set depending on your strength levels, ending the 5th set with anywhere between 1-5 reps.

The Legs respond very well to higher rep schemes so we will keep the low end of the other leg exercises at 8 reps and the high end at 20 reps per set.

Abs and Calves as Needed:

Both Abs and Calves respond well to higher rep ranges. 20 reps per set is good for calves and even more than that is good for abs. You will need to experiment with the suggested exercises to find what works best for you. Both abs and calves can be worked up to 6 times per week. Arnold Schwarzenegger started every workout with calf work and wrist/forearm work and ended each workout with ab work.

Forearm Work as Needed:

Mike Katz of ‘Pumping Iron' Shows off his Gigantic Neck

Forearm work can be done on Tuesdays and Fridays along with Biceps and Triceps work. Forearm work can also be done on any other days the trainer sees fit. Forearms can handle a lot of work and some trainers will need to do a lot of forearm work to get their forearms to grow. Forearms can be done in rep changes of 8-12 reps per set.

Neck Work as Needed:

Some trainers will need to do neck work and some won't. The neck can grow from heavy breathing during exercises like Squats, Overhead Pressing and Deadlifts but some trainers will need to do additional work. Neck work should be done in the rep ranges of 8-20. Neck work can be done 2-3 times per work or more if needed. Neck work is essential if trainer does not have naturally big and/or muscular neck.

Notes about the Old School 70's Workout Routine

Old school bodybuilders trained for strength as well as muscle size. They would often do an exercise as heavy as can be until they found their one rep max. Each week a trainer can pick one exercise and go as heavy as possible to find their one rep max. The perfect exercises to do a one rep max on are the Flat Barbell Bench Press, the Deadlift, and the Squat.

The Deadlift is not included in the sample workout above but can be added to any back day for ultimate strength and mass gains. The deadlift should not be performed for over 5 reps. It is a heavy weight exercise designed to build ultimate strength. Warmup with light weight and add progressively heavier weight to obtain your one rep max.

When following the 70's workout routine be sure to not take too long of a rest period. One minute rest per set/superset is good. Resting very little and working very hard provides excellent fat-burning benefits.

Diet and Eating

Bodybuilders of the Golden Era ate BIG. In particular, they ate a lot of protein and saturated fat. Whole raw eggs were consumed by many as a staple protein/fat source. Steak, Beef, Chicken, and Tuna were staple protein sources as well. Carbohydrates were eaten during “bulking” (putting on weight) phases and were gradually reduced during “cutting” (losing weight) phases. Many of them made their own protein shakes consisting of raw eggs, milk powder and whatever else they could think to add.

Required Supplements

Anabolic Steroids

Bodybuilders of the 1970's used anabolic steroids to obtain their muscular size and low bodyfat percentage. The 70's bodybuilders used steroids under the supervision and care of a trained physician. Steroids were perfectly legal in the 1970's and were as easily obtained as any current prescription medication.

It would be a lie to say that a natural trainer could look like the 70's era bodybuilders on food, training, and over the counter supplements alone. A natural trainer can make good progress on this routine, especially if within the first year or two of training, but will not obtain the same level of muscularity.

A particular favorite of 70's era bodybuilders for putting on size was the combination of testosterone, deca durabolin. and dianabol.

Required Reading

Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder by Arnold Schwarzenegger – One of BOLD & DETERMINED's top 5 favorite books. It has a wealth of training information and is extremely motivating. After reading this book you WILL bust your ass in the gym. This book also talks about the power of visualization and mindset and details Arnolds rise to the top of the bodybuilding world. A must read.

Required Viewing

Pumping Iron – Pumping Iron is one of BOLD & DETERMINED's top 5 films. Pumping Iron is a must watch for anyone interested in 1970's era bodybuilding. Staring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lou Ferrigno, Franco Columbu, and Serge Nubret as themselves, this docu-drama documents the rivalry between Big Lou Ferrigno and Alpha Dog Arnold Schwarzenegger leading up to the 1975 Mr. Olympia. With endlessly quotable lines, training advices, and hardcore training this movie is the ultimate for people interested in physique training. Bonus: A no-holds barred look at the ultimately Charismatic and Machiavellian Arnold Schwarzenegger. Bonus #2: Watching this movie before heading to the gym is the ultimate pump-up, on the same level as Rocky.

Comments

this routine is so hard ,man .I tried made it , but my level is not enoug . I cannnot do it , sorry .I will try make do it when have more stamina and regeneration . Anyway this routine is more efective . Thanks for post this .

I have been train with this routine for 3 month is the best and i havent take any suppmlement , in first 1 week is hard and i needen to sleep 16 hours a day 12 hour at night and 4 hours above the day , but after that week i get great results but idont suggest to begginger only people that have 1 year or more ..

If you’re a beginner, you are right . You wouldn’t jump into these routines straight away.
True, you would be overtrained.
But these 70s bodybuilding champions have lots of time of heavy training and commitment to bodybuilding under their belts.
Please don’t assume that their trainings were solely fueled with anabolic steroids.
I’m “Old School” bodybuilder and I can tell you that compared to today’s “bodybuilding”
they were STEROID-FREE athletes.
If you are NATURAL and an advanced bodybuilder, dont’t worry about high volume workouts
-if it works for you.
The fact is that steroid abusers can do up to 12 sets per muscle group ONCE A WEEK
and they obviously grow. And they brag that all they need is 45 min training session. Total rubbish!
It was totally different than it is today.
Yes, bodybuilders of 70s used steroids, but it was in moderation compared to today’s trainers.
In fact today average gym rats take MORE steroids and other simmilar crap
than top bodybuilders in 70s!
Don’t tell me that today’s NATURAL bodybuilders don’t take steroids
and/or other performance enhancing drugs. I will just laugh it off!
As I said, if you’ re advanced bodybuilder go for high volume training (if it works for you
-experiment like bodybuilders of 70s did),
instead of today’s lazy 2min noodles and XBOX society’s method:
-45 min workout (rests between sets 10min because of texting or other social technology crap),
-only 4 x week
-14 sets per muscle group performed once a week
It all works, granted, if you take steroids, diuretics and other shit.
Regards.

Yeah, if you’re not taking steroids and you do this program, you will overtrain! Guranteed! Maybe you will not only overtrain but injure yourself as well. I tried it for a few mobnths and actually lost strength and gains because i am natural. Then, after cutting back to four days training a week again, all my gains started to come back. Go figure!

You have to build up to it. Not many people use high volume training like these guys did anymore – its a completely different ball game to the popular internet regimes you find out there now. These guys, even as naturals, trained so much harder than how the majority of people train today. Try 4 days a week for 6 months then graduate to 6 days a week.

Day 1 and 3: Chest and legs, abs.
Day 2 and 4: Back, shoulders, arms.

Do at least 3 exercises per body part all @ 8×5. Try to do as many heavy compound exercises you can.

It does not mather if you train for years. A natural person can never follow the same routine as steroid users do.

If you want to follow the split routine with 6days a week, (wich is not recomended, ask any well progressed natural, pretty much all of them will say you should rest 2days a week) But if you wanna do it anyway, you have to lower the intensity on the training, split the number of sets they do by half and you have a reasonable amount of load on the muscles for a natural. If they do 20sets per muscle group, you do 10. and so on.

What would be recomended though, is to do either 1split full body workouts 3times a week or 2 split half body workouts 4times a week. Wich is the way most of the golden era bodybuilders trained before they moved up to 6days a week programs.

Cant say this enough so i say it again. You should NEVER follow a training routine for a unnatural bodybuilder, if you are not on steroids yourself. Your body simply can not take it, either you will overtrain yourself and get injured or you will make LESS progression cause your body cant recover enough to handle those routines.

What the guy said , if you are not on steroids you aint going far with this kind of routine. I used to follow this routine, or a very similar one from a youtube channel called Buff dudes. It works great if you are just starting out, and the weights are low . But once you progress to a certain point, you cant recover as fast as you used to,because you use heavier and heavier loads equal and or above to your weight.

This is when you need to change your routine or jump on steroids. As a natural your body has a finite amount of fibers it can make in a given week/month/year. The last thing you want,is to overtrain them and not let them properly recover. Not only that,but if you consistently workout,you are giving your body mixed signals as to what muscle fibers to grow,which will ultimately make you spin your wheels. However even been on steroids, by letting your body properly recover you will need less dosages to reach your goals.This is a win/win in any case

G’day mate , I have read your stupid comment and reasoning
right through over and over again and I almost puked
because of your nonsens and “scientific philosophy”.
All ya guys repeat yourselves like a broken record: NATURAL NATURAL NATURAL…,
and then: STEROIDS, STEROIDS, STEROIDS…, and so on!
I can tell you there’s not such a thing as a NATURAL Bodybuilding.
– Let’s face it – not today!
Don’t tell me that good RECOVERY after HIGH VOLUME and FREQUENT workouts is a result of using ANABOLIC STEROIDS because they don’t work that way!
The fashion today is: ONE MUSCLE GROUP PER WEEK.
12 SETS PER LARGE MUSCLE GROUP.
8 SETS PER SMALL MUSCLE GROUP.
WORKOUTS THAT LAST ONLY 45-60 MIN.
5 MIN RESTS BETWEEN SETS (chatting on cellphones…).
It works! WHY??
Because steroid users don’t need HIGH VOLUME, HARD WORKOUTS.
They will grow anyway, even if they “perform” couple of sets with few reps in the gym.
Just an example: Dorian Yates – one of the first “mass monsters”.
I don’t believe he developed his amazing physique merely by his minimalistic approach
to training. No way! -And 6 times Mr.Olympia!
It absolutely wasn’t a case in 50’s, 60’s, 70’s and even 80’s.
So don’t tell me that you must take anabolic steroids
or other performance enhancing drugs in order to train hard, heavy, with high volume
and, if necessary, even up to 2 hours. Just to be, as you call, NATURAL Bodybuilder.

Sorry, I disagree.
It has nothing to do with steroids.
Of course you will overtrain if you jump to these routines as a beginner whether you take steroids or not.
If it comes to injuries it has little to do with volume workouts.
Injuries occur because of poor technique and to big weights that today’s trainers use to impress others
and train their ego instead of muscles! They often perform cheated reps from rep 1 instead of doing
6 correct reps and then 2 or 3 forced or cheated reps. And if they continue doing this, sooner or later
they get injuried. And they say that it happened because “they are natural” and “they don’t take steroids”! And they arrogantly think they know it all.
Why ALL OF YOU GUYS talk so much about steroids?!
Come on, wake up! This forum is about bodybuilding of 70s.
Please leave this subject for forums about bodybuilding of 90s or 2000s and today
because it’s more relevant. Will you?

Hi. I’m 17 yrs old, 5″11 and 165 lbs. Firstly, I want to thank you for this site. It changed my thinkin and my life. Really. Thanks, man. Currently i’m looking forward to build muscle, and get a little leaner. I’m following the Warrior Diet. Actually I can bench nearly my bodyweight and squat more than my bw. Do you think I could start this routine? And is this a good idea to perform some jump roping as cardio with fast intervals?

No. This is advanced training for advanced lifters. Arnold built his mass early on through frequent but low volume full body routines. Use any low volume workout that concentrates on compound movements and focus on getting stronger week by week (eg 5 pounds more this week or 1 more rep than last week). Get into advanced training when you are done with beginner gains (20 – 30 pounds of muscle, or 2 to 3 years).

Thank you, guys. Actually, I’m not a raw beginner as I’ve been training for a half a year or a little more now, but it wasn’t so good, i’ve been changing routines too often. The Starting Strenght is good, however I think the volume is too low, perhaps. Actually, i want to include some other exercises such as Close Grip Bench, Incline Bench, Lateral Raises, Curls etc. Could someone send me some details about this All pro routine? Finally, I got one little program. I’m training in my garage alone, in this case i can’t safely do squats, shall I replace it with One Legged Squats?

So Victor, Do you recommend this routine or your “Body like a spatan” that i just brought? Cause these two don’t seems to have nothing in common really? I’m looking to build the clean bodybuilder type of body, but the BLAS routine is more like a simple strenght training right?

Brilliant. Now this is what a routine should look like. Three weeks on this, i feel bigger(i LOOK bigger!), stronger and more energetic already .
Thanks for posting this!
Natural ecto-mesos looking to shed fat+gain muscle should definitely try this.

Yes Mike Mentzer build most of his physic with volume training, but it was far far less than everybody else. While he trained for the 1979 O, he trained 3-4 days af week up to 45minutes (read his book HIT) wining the heavy weight. compare that to Zane who trained 2-3 hours ad day 6 days a week ;) Also Yates said: “I could never have won Mr O 6 times without training HIT” /read his book.

Hey I’m 15 years old 6′ 2″ i’m about 165lbs and i can squat and bench more than i weigh, i have a small body frame though and i want to have a wide chest so i can look bigger, any suggestions? P.S. ive had a routine, saw no results after 1 month, and changed to this hoping i can get results quicker for the next wrestling season.

Bro nice post! I do agree; 70s bodybuilders have the best bodies- And I particluarly love the black and white photos.
But just a clarification- I know Mentzer’s training; yes TECHNICALLY he used higher volume but not in that sense- he used HEAVY weights and lower frequency- TECHNICALLY his training could be considered high volume because he was so big on DROP sets- basically when he reaches failure from a heavy LOW rep weight- he would shed some plates and continue another set- then another failure- shed some plates- failure again- until there are no plates left- All those can be considered one set- but high volume nonetheless- but let no one think that this guy loves to train with high reps for several sets– that is just not like Mike

and BTW I agree on the neck stuff- at times and recently when I trained with a friend who is also a pro boxer and a coach (that is how he makes a living – by coaching) — we do some neck trainings like neck bridges for rep-which are my favorite. Just take a look at how Tyson did those they’re all around youtube

Great advice. Even the ladies can use this program. I am almost 50 and have the body and face of an athletic 30 yo … my husband is quite happy.

I was a competitive powerlifter and bodybuilder in the mid-80s and have never given it up. My time committment waxes and wanes over the seasons and I change up my routines to suit them but 35+ years of consistent exercise do wonders for a person and I am living proof.

To your point, it has to be the right exercise and your routine nails it. Well done.

ps I competed in the latter days of Frank Zane, Arnold, Rachel McLish, and Sergio. Those were the days – bodybuilding isn’t even remotely the same sport nor are the bodies anywhere near as pleasing as they were, Darn shame.

Interesting post. However does anybody know how much were they juicing? Screw that, once I have learned how not to over-train and I switched high volume for high intensity, real gains happened. Plus I’d rather do something more constructive with the rest of the time I would have spent in the gym doing 30 sets per muscle group. just my 2 cents

Just want to say a few things about the way they trained in the 70 s . First off they were loaded to the gills with steroids they just didnt “dabble ” in it . They were as bad then as now except there are more drug choices now . Second , If someone trained as you suggest you would quickly burn out lose strength or get injured probably all 3 . If you see most of the bodybuilders from back in the day they are train wrecks , anything from deblitating back injuries , replaced shoulders , knees and hips and not too mention heart trouble . Thats the reality

I’ve met many people in the culture pf bodybuilding, and I am acquainted with many ex-BBs of that era, and NONE of their assertions about old era steroid usage were the same – EVERYONE has a different account of what they did back then. Why should your claim be any different?

Would this be a suitable training for me ? I’m 10 months into my training of witch 9 i had a pretty great diet and last 2 months i addes some suplements( I’m a nurse and I know a thing or two about diets)I went from 68 to 83 kg at 13-14% bf 186 cm. I cannot bench my weight (only 70 for 1-3 reps)but I can squat 110 kg for 2-3 reps and DL 140 3 reps. I don’t care if It hurts or how hard it is just injurewise would this be appropriate to me ? I currently train 5 days a week
Mon chest + bi
Tue back + tri
Wed legs
Thu shoulders
Fri arms
Weekend off.
Please I need a pro advise. Thx :)

Hi. Sorry for the late reply. I’ve just recently read your comment.
I’m also a nurse (kind of – Healthcare Assistant) in a public hospital.
Also I’ve been a competitive bodybuilder for years.
You said you’ve been training for about 10 months. I suppose, now it’s gonna be 2,5 years.
If you want to be/are a serious bodybuilder or going to the gym just to improve size and quality of your muscles,
don’t worry about weights you use (namely numbers). You’re doing good as long as
they’re heavy enough FOR YOU to perform 6 correct reps and as long as you increase them, even slowly and carefully (to avoid injuries).
A Powerlifter or Weightlifter may want to impress others with weights he uses (because this is their main goal)
but Bodybuilder doesn’t have to. Of course increase of strength is very important in bodybuilding but this is
a secondary goal.
By now you probably know your body’s/muscles’ responses to weight training –
-which muscle groups respond well and which are more stubborn.
As a bodybuilder you need to “listen” to your body in order to give it adequate “regime” so to speak.
Don’t COPY bodybuilding champions’ routines as they’ve been good for THEM.
Everybody is different, unique.
However, in your personal programme you can use some hints, ideas, tricks and methods that advanced bodybuilders use, give them some time and see if it works for YOU.
Prioritize YOUR weak and stubborn muscle on your training sessions.
Namely, train them first, when you have most energy.
Of course after a good warm-up (to lower a risk of injury).
When ir comes to nutrition today’s commercialized bodybuilding generation puts too much emphasis
on suplements. They’re just SUPLEMENTS to right nutrition and not basics or substitute.
They work (still some of them, not all) only if you stick to bases – right diet.
Coming back to training, this is split routine that I’ve been doing for long time and it worked for me:

You’ve probably already found your answer but maybe others could benefit from this.

Adding height to the traps on a man with narrow clavicles will make him appear taller and more narrow. Just as vertical stripes on a suit make you appear slimmer and taller by drawing the eyes up and down.

A better solution would be to develop the delts and lats to increase width. There’s a guest post on B&D that goes into much more detail. Check it out.

I have been training for 34 yrs. for 20 yrs. i did each body part 2 times a week that’s how we all learned 20 sets a bodypart years later we found out you only got to do each bodypart 1 time a week 10 to 12 sets each bodypart workout 4 days a week i’m 50yrs. now and just as big as I was when I was 20 more rest makes muscle grow . STAY BIG & STRONG ROBB

What would you recommend for the obese guy who wants to pump iron? I’ve had some success in strength training, but the fat just stayed there. My shoulders are much broader, and I did lean up in some areas, but what would you recommend to cut the fat?

To Lose Fat diet and a workout must go together. I’ll share the truth with you below.

I guess I have done every workout there is, but I have been lifting for many years. I started in 1971.

Many people make money off the industry, and many will not share the real scoop with people, and those that get trained by someone who knows what they are doing is a rarity, and they don’t share the info for free.

But many don’t know the old school secrets because so many took the drug route.

I was lucky. I was taught by my coach, who had retired from Pro ball, he played for the raiders, and he learned what he taught me, from some pro bodybuilders in the late 60’s.

So if you want to lose 5 pounds of fat per week without drugs, do the following. The diet will just be a sample diet, and so will the workout. The diet is basic, and the workout is fast 15-20 min “max”

This is not for those who want to get huge, but for those that want to lose fat, and get that real toned, jacked, athletic look that actors use for movie roles. Still you will gain some size, and you’ll be pleased at how big you look too.

Basically you have 2 types of training, heavy weight for tendon strength, and light weight for pumping and size.

I’ll just give you the highlights OK. Maybe this will help someone else. The secret is to get your protein intake to be 55% of your total calorie input.

That’s definitely an interesting concept and I’m not totally against it. I would like more info. on this style. I’m not sure how great it would work, though. Training the same muscles everyday, regardless of not going to failure, seems like a bit much. The muscles are never getting adequate rest.

I am using a herbal formula testosterone booster containing ashwagandha, mucuna pruriens, gokshura, Chlorophytum borivilianum. I’ve noticed a severe slump in energy, mood and strength. I’ve recently begun a cycle and it worked like a charm. My pumps are stronger at the gym, my mood is better and I have great stamina and energy to get my work done.

Badass routine. The modern day IFBB looks just disguisting to the Golden era of bodybuilders IMO. While todays top pro bodybuilders do train their asses off, diet hard, and take insane amouunts of drugs, the look just is not as appealing to me as the aesthetics era in bodybuilding. Would like to see more articles like this.
Best regards.

I’s amazing the number of competitive bodybuilders from the 70’s and 80’s that are now dead as a result of steroid use. Google it online and you’ll see the list, it’s unreal. Can you imagine what it will be like when the freakish top bodybuilders of today start suffering the consequences of their drug abuse?

To those saying that this is too high volume or only applicable to those individuals who are using anabolic steroids, you don’t have to perform 5 sets. This routine will work even with 3-4 sets per exercise, which is quite standard. Frank Zane utilized 3 working sets per exercise and to my knowledge he was natural, and had an amazing physique. Don’t forget to eat properly!

I had the privilege of training in the late 70’s and it is true that bodybuilding has changed, back in those days if you knew you had good genetics you moved forward, I know myself without steroids I managed to obtain 22 inch arms and a good physique, I did one cycle when I was 23 and easily added an inch to my arms. I used to workout in the morning and the evening 5 days a week, I personally don’t think people are willing to sacrifice as much today because it is hard.

Now it seems like genetics do not play as much of an important role as they did in the past, it’s all about trying to compensate with steroids now matter how crappy your physique is.

I think alot of the pregnant cows analagy boils down to overdoing the supplements syndrome. Too many guys are consuming too many different supps for too many different reasons. I’m by no means saying that supplements are bad, because the vast majority of bodybuilding supplements are awsome, but we guys tend to overkill the whole thing.

We prefer supps to real nutrition that Frank Zane and the likes indulged in back in the day. Theres a great post on one of my fav bodybuilding sites that discusses nutrition and supplements in great depth.

The current new craze is testosterone boosters. Theres a huge segment dedicated to supplements that attempts to separate fact from fiction.

I believe that the TRUE “golden age” of bodybuilding was in the 1940s and 1950s, before the proliferation of anabolic steroids and sheer mass that took hold some time in the later 1960s.

People talk about the “aesthetics” of the 1970s, but professionals well before that era such as Steve Reeves, John Grimek, Vince Gironda, Reg Park, Bruce Randall, and even Jack LaLanne built themselves up to a natural and truly aesthetic level and actually looked like real, healthy human beings.

Sorry, I’m not gonna forget 1970s.
Since ALL OF YOU guys put so much emphasis on anabolic steroids (it makes me sick),
I can tell you that bodybuilding of 70s in comparison with TODAY’s “bodybuilding” (namely – at least since 1990)
was DRUG-FREE. Yes, you read it right!
True, top bodybuilders of 70s did use anabolic steroids and testosteron,
but it was NOTHING compared even with TODAY’s average “gym rat”.
So I can still call 1970s Golden Age of Bodybuilding but yes, it was probably the last decade.
At that time steroid use was still small compared with today’s bodybuilders (even so called “NATURAL”).
I agree, I definately cannot call 1990s a Golden Age. Or even 2nd half of 80s.
However I agree, I still highly admire bodybuilders of 50s and 60s. (Also 70s).
They looked human, they were big but very proportional and aestetic
(which you cannot say about “bodybuilders” today).
Coming back to 70s:
In many contries bodybuilding at that time wasn’t like it was in 70s in USA!
As a kid I grew up in Mid-East Europe (GDR, Poland).
And I can tell you that bodybuilding in 70s in that areas was like
AMERICAN BODYBUILDING of 50s (or maybe first half of 60s)!
You mentioned names of just few real good old time bodybuilders. I know them all, and admire.
I would add: Clarence Ross, Jack Delinger, George Eifermann, Leroy Colbert, Tommy Kono,
Larry Scott, Dave Draper, Rick Wayne, and more.
Regards.

Interesting article. I know that i couldn’t train like this. As I detail in my blog I work out 3 days a week as I have only just started out but 3 days a week is plenty for me especially since I train the whole body per session.

I love Reg Parks 5 x 5 routine as well but I know that I would get injured if I tried that programme. I’m happy to take it a bit easier in order to let me joints etc get stronger during the first 3 – 6 months.

I like your comment. I don’t know how long ago you’ve started training with weights
but to me it looks not long ago…
You’re right: you couldn’t train like this. Not now. Why should you?
However train HARD but SMART. You’re not gonna get injuried by this.
Don’ t COPY anybody elses traning routine (especially professional bodybuilders).
There’s no “democracy” about bodybuilding (at least when it comes to training) – everybody is different, unique.
But we can use some advices, hints and discerment in our own routines – and EXPERIMENT.
I started my bodybuilding passion seriously in 1988 when I was 14 and already read about Weider’s Split System
and Double-Split System that were normal “cup-of-tea” of 70s’ and 80s’ professionals
(including Arnold Schwarzenegger and many more).
Arnold Schwarzenegger was my first bodybuilding “idol” but everybody involved in the sport
knows that Arnold’s bodybuilding “idol” was Reg Park. And as a beginner Arnold Schwarzenegger followed
Reg Park’s (at least early) routines.
3 times a week -all muscle groups. I liked that as a beginner, especially because Reg Park was “idol” of my “idol”.
At that time I wanted to be like Arnold Schwarzenegger in his early years.
However as you progress with 3 x week programme, after some period of time
– say: 1 year (it varies, everybody is different), it is very likely that you’re gonna reach a plateau.
And if you’re a serious bodybuilder you probably will have to move on – into Split System.
And here we come. Experiment, try to get your muscles and entire body’s response.
Try to see which muscles respond better to weight training and which ones are lagging back and
appear to be stubborn.
That was in short. But this is just a part of 70s’ bodybuilding champions approach.
I’m glad you are interested in the “Old School of Bodybuilding”.
In fact 60s/70s/80s are not OLD but NEW and BEST school of bodybuilding.
Because what we see today is NOT A SPORT OF BODYBUILDING AT ALL!!
Regards.

One should note that not only experience but use of anabolics would allow for faster recovery after a grueling workout like these. Hitting a 3 day split like this without anabolics is possible, but you’ll be drained and not make as many gains.

Pumping Iron is motivational in so many ways. Arnold is a champion and knows 100% that he will win. He also works hard and uses every edge available. I’ve watched that film several times and don’t forget his autobiography “Total Recall”

Been on a program similar to this one for a long time. Yes this leads to over-training. Try to add off days after lifting for 3 days. Also have deload weeks where you abstain from lifting for a week. Once every 1-2 months, depending on your body’s response. You can also switch arms day with legs day. This workout is the real deal. Recommended to all intermediate lifters.

Bravo!!! I first started lifting about 10 years ago and couldn’t gain a thing. I ended up with a copy of Pumping Iron on DVD, laid hands on gainer to offset the need to eat constant and supplemented with only L-glutamine. The difference was mind blowing, I gained 10 ls of muscle in two months. In fact, I had a couple of guys ask me if I was doing steroids (which I wasn’t). The gains were that massive and fast.

One tip that I would add is that I found that the addition of drop sets (starting with extreme weight), or even just working the muscle at the end of each set with very light weight until I literally couldn’t move it anymore worked for me. It might not for everyone, this is my own modification that helped me with gains.

I would work out hard for 1 hour a day, focusing on muscle groups, pound some more protein and then go directly to bed so that my muscles would be relaxed and have the whole night to recover. I ONLY used free weights (with the exception of a lat pulldown bar) so that I had no choice but to focus on my form and muscle that I working and support the weight through the entire movement arc. I believe this is also important for this routine.

You also need to get into the mindset of these golden age guys, yes we all want gains fast and that’s cool if it motivates you, but you absolutely have to put in the work, especially if you go natural (and frankly I don’t care if you do or not, natural is just my choice). Overtraining was not a concern because I listened to my body and made sure to get the rest that I needed. I often hear guys saying how hard a routine this is, and I just don’t understand it. How are you supposed to get big if you don’t work for it?

And I would watch Pumping Iron before or after every workout :) too. Ten years down the road I am back lifting again and it feels awesome!! It’s like getting back on a bicycle, everything just comes back to you. It makes me happy to see that others are beginning to focus on the aeshetics (sp?) rather than just being mutants, and looking into these old school routines. Rock that vacuum!

Watched Pumping Iron and reading through Education Of A Bodybuilder. There’s nothing like watching greatness at work! So much of what I read in the book resonates with me the same way B&D does. Arnold’s mindset set him apart from the rest of the field. I thought Franco Columbu had a real chance to beat Arnold in the movie but he was a smaller guy and I think that worked against him. Arnold says something really interesting in his book:

On posing: “….My thighs always looked thin, too, But when I flexed they exploded. It was a direct result of working with more repetitions and less weight. Because if you always train with heavy weights you get to look like Franco Columbu; your muscles are always there. Then when you pose there’s no real surprise. I don’t want to knock that look. For myself I prefer the more dramatic body, the showman’s body.”- Arnold Schwarzenegger, The Education Of A Bodybuilder

This is fantastic and it just shows how working opposite sides and muscles on the same day provides a great stretch and unlike some “experts”have said it’s dangerous which is nonsense. If you work chest and back in the same day for example take turns working one then the other for your sets. Arnold used to do a set of bench then jump right on the pull-up bar back and forth. Don’t forget your super-sets!

Yes, it is fantastic. I tried this few times. It worked for me, yet for a short period of time.
True, it is nonsense when so called “experts” say “it’s dangerous”.
But as for me (even though Arnold Schwarzenegger was a greatest and only “idol” of my very early years in bodybuilding) this antagonist muscles’ supersets did work.
For example: When you perform 6 reps of Bench Presses with the last reps just about reaching failure
(and most likely using Forced Reps), and then jumping (without any rest) into Bent-Over Barbell Rows,
I can guarantee you that your lats won’t receive full attention, energy and focus (if any).
The same comes to Triceps/Biceps, Quads/Hamstrings combination.
Perhaps it worked for Arnold Schwarzenegger – genetically gifted inividual, but not for me at most of the time.
However, what works for me is training possibly closely located muscle groups in one workout session.

This is routine that currently works best for me (I use it off-season):
DAY 1 : Chest, Back, Forearms
DAY 2 : Calves, Thighs, Abdominals
DAY 3 : Rest
DAY 4 : Triceps, Biceps, Forearms
DAY 5 : Shoulders, Calves, Abdominals
DAY 6 : Rest
DAY 7 : Same as DAY 1. And the sequence begins.

When I competed, most of the time I used to do the following routine:
DAY 1 : Chest, Back, Forearms
DAY 2 : Calves, Thighs, Abdominals
DAY 3 : Triceps, Biceps, Forearms
DAY 4 : Shoulders, Calves, Abdominals
DAY 5 : Rest
DAY 6 : Same as DAY 1. And the sequence begins.

As you can see, for me doing Chest/Back, Triceps/Biceps, Quads/Hamstrings -workouts are great deal,
but not for me. The second part of the superset will “suffer” and will possibly undertrained.
This is my personal opinion.
But figure out what works for you best.
Experiment.
I’m pretty sure many of top 70s’ successful bodybuilders would agree with that.
Regerds.

No disrespect but I had to laugh at most of the comments about this split, overtraining, and steroids. There is no doubt that these guys were juicing but to the max like kai green etc. I wouldn’t consider myself a noob I’ve been working out since I was sixteen at that age I was benching about 310lb no bull I was an introvert whit shit to do but train and play video games. I’m 30 no so I’ve been working out off and on since, now with the being said I can max reps to about 15 sets to about 7 or 8 natty and when I say natty I mean all that I use is whey protein, coffee, BCAs, creatine, and prey workout if it fits the budget. IMO you have to listen to your body understand what it says can you take or take less. I usually follow Sergio Olivia’s split which is super sets on every split/set/ body part, whatever.

Yeah, if you’re not taking steroids and you do this program, you will overtrain! Guranteed! Maybe you will not only overtrain but injure yourself as well. I tried it for a few mobnths and actually lost strength and gains because i am natural. Then, after cutting back to four days training a week again, all my gains started to come back. Go figure!

Hey guys …..
I am AHMED from Egypt
I have been doing old school workouts since couple years .. I am telling you .. they are the best if you are advanced enough ..note I am not using any kind of steroids …. my body do good results with these workouts more than one muscle work out ..

Guys this routine was used by a golden age bodybuilders big part of their life was going in the gym their focus was on building muscles and if you are not a guy that can work hard and focus on building your body its ain’t gonna work for ya its not about steroids is about very very hard work and a proper diet… steroids would make you lift hevier and longer but ain’t gonna make you a good bices or a thick back if you don’t know how to use the techniques proper…

I have been doing this for about a month now… and I honestly like it.
I usually do a mixute stringlifts 5×5 and 5×5 with accessory work.
Not adding massive amounts to my lifts, but it has brought up my lagging body parts size and shape.
I’m very happy with this workout,
It’s not sustainable long term without AS for me. Which is a shame, as I like training as much as I can.

Can you shed some light on the carbs consumed by the Golden Era bodybuilders…
I have been training for many years and am a Strength Coach myself…Never really researched or explored 70s bodybuilding but am now interested…

Thanks

love the workout though…so different to he current workout they’re doing…and from my experience volume and frequency is vital for aesthetics..

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